Sheldon guthrie



s. eUTHmE.

Lamp

Patented Feb. 14, 1860.

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W/TA/f 51:5 ifm f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHELDON GUTHRIE, OF NE\V ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

LAMP.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 27,124, dated February 14, 1860.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SHnLDoN GUTHRIE, of the city of New Orleans, parish of Orleans, and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and improved form and arrangement of tubes or burners for lamps for burning all kinds of common oil, grease, fluids, &c., for the purpose of producing artificial light; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

The peculiarity of my invention consists in a new and improved arrangement of tubes or burners and wicks essential in obtaining the greatest amount of steady clear light at the smallest possible cost of material. Thus great breadth of flame radiation of light from each side of the wick with an equal diffusion thereof, absence of smoke without the aid of a chimney by burning up and preventing the too free escape of carbon, and the greatest increase of volume of light by burning the greatest amount of oxygen with a given quantity of wick and fuel.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my superior lamp I will proceed to describe these tubes or burners their particular arrangement, their operation and the wicks to be used therein.

The tubes or burners are four for each lamp made of copper or other metal each being one and one-fourth inch long and three fourths of an inch wide when formed up. The cavity for the wick in each tube is one sixteenth part of an inch the entire length and width of the tube. One edge of each tube is open and is made square with the upper end. There are openings in the sides of the tubes above the top of the lamp to admit of regulating the wicks. The tubes are set into the top of the lamp and fastened at right angles in the form of a cross, the upper end projecting one half or nine sixteenths of an inch above the top of the lamp. The open edge of the tube in all cases is to be in the center and ranging exactly with the tube on the opposite side. Each tube is joined and fastened the entire length evenly on each side to the open edge of the tube next to it. This arrangement leaves a cavity where the tubes form a center which is filled with a copper wire for the double purpose of prevent-ing the too free escape of carbon and to aid in heating the oil or grease in the lamp and may be taken out in order to clean the tubes. The top of the lamp is perfectly flat except a slightly raised rim around the outside (into which the top is fitted) to preveit the oil or grease running down the outs1 e.

The tubes here described are adapted to burning a wick as thin as a single thickness of common brown canton or cotton iannel which I use, by which a given amount of material forms the greatest surface of Wick and acorresponding breadth of fiame which is thereby rendered peculiarly soft and clear, well adapted to all the ordinary wants while the arrangements are equally well adapted to the use of a broader and thicker wick in all cases where a greater volume of light is required. The lamp is supplied with fuel in the usual way. These tubes being adapted to burning impure oils and grease as well as the better qualities of oil and iuids it is desirable that the inside of the lam as well as the tubes should be cleaned as o ten as either becomes affected with cinder gluten or sediment. For that purpose the top of the lamp may be so arranged as to be taken out by means of thumb screws or their equivalent.

By this arrangement of tubes light is radiated equally in every direction while no portion of it is rendered unavailable as is the case with all lamps using a circular wick where that portion of light emitted from the inner side of the circle is concentrated and refracted upward instead of being diffused as is necessary in order to its Greatest utility. This arrangement also produces a strong central drat which brings in contact with the flame and burns a much greater amount of oxygen in proportion than the increased breadth of wick, thereby greatly improving the volume and quality of light without any increased consumption of uel; besides it aids in producing a degree of heat suicient to burn a much greater amount of carbon without the aid of a chimney than is done with any other lamp thus lessening the liability to smoke. Further to prevent the too free escape of carbon and liability to smoke it may be necessary sometimes to cut the sides of the wick next the center of the lamp down lower than the outside so as to make the flame nearer even than it would be otherwise.

That light like heat is radiated at right angles with the surface of the body from which it proceeds, and that the consumption of fuel is always in proportion to the amoiuit of material in the wick when raised to a proper height in the tubes are facts which are considered greatly in favor-'of this arrangement of tubes. Besides the simplicity of construction, the facility With which they may be fitted to most ofthe common oil lamps now in use, the perfect adaptation to the Wants of families by affording the full light of four Wicks or any amount less down to that of the nurses lamp for the sick, are

considered among its superior qualities and claims to excellence. 'What I claimfas my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent under the name and title of S. GUTHRIES superior'lamp is ThisneW vand `im roved arrangement of tubes or burners and) Wicks for burning all 15 kinds of common oil grease fluids &c. for the purpose of producing artificial light as herein substantially set forth and described, the same being applicable to tubes of any size in proportion to the degree of light desired. 20

New Orleans, January 11.1860.

vsHELDoN GUTHRIE.

Witnesses:

THEO. F. SENRING, W. W. BREEDLOVE. 

